Western Sydney University bushfire experts share insights on upcoming bushfire season

28 September 2023

Published by: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au

AUSTRALIA – Associate Professor – Ian Wright, School of Science, water quality and ecological impact

Associate Professor Wright teaches classes in water science and management, environmental planning and environmental regulation. He has been a water scientist for more than 30 years and now leads a small team that conducts high-impact and highly engaged research that addresses water resource sustainability issues. He has published research on the water quality and ecological impact of wildfires on streams and high conservation-value peat wetlands in the Blue Mountains area, including the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

“After the Black summer bushfires (2019/2020) there was extremely heavy rain, particularly in the Blue Mountains. This triggered major erosion and environmental damage to endangered World Heritage Area peat swamps.”

“Sydney suffered water quality problems in their main water storage, Warragamba Dam, following the 2019/20 black summer bushfires and following heavy rainfall.”

“For people in regional Australia, having a safe and secure water supply in preparation for drought and bushfire is a priceless gift. For many, it might be lifesaving.”

Dr Rachael Nolan – Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, estimating bushfire risk and impacts

Dr Nolan works at the intersection of plant ecophysiology, fire ecology and forest fire management. Her research bridges science, policy and management, aiming to provide an early warning of the risk of bushfires, and to predict their impacts on ecosystems under a changing climate. Dr Nolan is a member of the bushfire research group at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment and is deputy director of the NSW Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre.

With a drier than average fire season predicted, we are likely to see a return of bushfires in the coming fire seasons. However, it is unlikely we’ll experience another Black Summer this year, which came after a 3-year period of drought.”

Dr Thomas Longden – Urban Transformations Research Centre, temperature and energy

Dr Thomas Longden is a senior researcher at Western Sydney University’s Urban Transformations Research Centre (UTRC). His work on temperature-related mortality and temperature-related energy insecurity has been published in leading international journals, including Nature Energy, and Climatic Change.

“One of the most confronting impacts of extreme heat is the risk of deaths and ill health from hot weather. Heat stress can exacerbate existing health conditions including diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease. Older people are particularly vulnerable.”

“Heat is more dangerous than the cold in most Australian regions. 2 per cent of deaths in Australia between 2006 and 2017 were due to the heat. In the three warmer climate zones this number was higher, ranging from 4.5 per cent to 9.1 per cent of deaths. In the coldest climate zone, 3.6 per cent of deaths were due to the cold and the heat was less dangerous.”

“A lack of acclimatisation can make some heatwaves more dangerous than others due to the physiological impact on people’s thermoregulation. These events mean that people get caught out.”

“Temperature extremes will increase the demand for electricity due to the need to cool homes, which can become an expense that places greater pressure on already stretched budgets. The type of billing will change how this energy affordability issue affects households.”

Professor Joseph Cheer – School of Social Sciences, sustainable tourism and heritage

Professor Cheer is Co Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Tourism Geographies (Taylor & Francis), Co-Chair of World Economic Forum (WEF) Future Council on the Future of Sustainable Tourism and recent board member of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the region’s leading tourism industry group. He can provide commentary around the impacts of tourism and how destinations can build resiliency to crises in Australia and, especially in the Asia Pacific region.

“Tourism destinations in Australia should be enacting detailed crisis management plans in anticipation of unprecedented heatwaves this summer. Recent fires in Greece, Italy, Canada and Hawaii are a harbinger of what is to come.

“For tourism destinations close to a nature backdrop, especially National Parks, the urgency to act proactively now, is evident.”

Adjunct Associate Professor Karleen Gribble – School of Nursing and Midwifery, young children and families in emergencies

Adjunct Associate Professor Gribble is a world-leading researcher on infants and young children in emergencies and has been involved in research, policy development and training in this area since 2006. She is the Project lead on the Australian Breastfeeding Association’s Community Protection for Infants and Young Children in Bushfires Project. This Australian-first project is conducting research on the experiences of caregivers of infants and young children during the Black Summer and is working with organisations on the NSW South Coast to pilot emergency planning and preparation to support very young children in future bushfires.

“Caring for a baby or toddler profoundly impacts the emergency experiences of parents. The very youngest children are vulnerable to dehydration during hot weather, and the resources to keep them safe and well can be difficult in the midst of a disaster.”

“Emergency messaging for children during heat waves is often quite problematic for babies as it is recommended to drink more water when the weather is hot, but babies under 6 months should not be given any water to drink as infant’s kidneys are immature, so they can develop water intoxication.”

“Babies are more vulnerable to heat stress and dehydration during heat waves.”

Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh – Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, soil biology

Distinguished Professor Singh’s fundamental research identifies the quantitative relationships between soil diversity and ecosystem functions and how natural pressures such as bushfire and climate change affect this. His applied research harnesses the knowledge gained in fundamental research to improve agriculture productivity, restoration success and environmental sustainability. Outcomes from his research have informed multiple policy decisions at national and international levels.

“Soil biodiversity plays a critical role in the recovery of ecosystems from bushfires. Through nutrient cycling and resource availability the soil community plays an important role in plant recovery and the composition of new communities. This is especially important where burn is severe and repeated, as soil biodiversity can help with the restoration of those sites.”

Associate Professor Jessica Weir – Institute for Culture and Society, social-ecological dimensions of bushfire and natural hazard issues

Associate Professor Jessica Weir is a non-Indigenous scholar who investigates the social-ecological dimensions of bushfire and other natural hazard issues, undertaking qualitative research in areas dominated by the natural sciences. Jessica is currently chair of the Indigenous Engagement Strategy in the new NSW Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre. Her disciplinary reach is evidenced in reviews of her work in ecology, geography, sociology, Aboriginal studies and political science journals. In 2022 she won Emergency Management Professional Association award for Excellence in Emergency Communication – Research.

“We need to close the evidence gap to consider what is at risk and to whom, and what do we want to do about it as a society, because we know the hazard is coming, but how interested are we in prioritising that?”

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